A gadfly attorney and an Arizona county sheriff want to halt President Barack Obama's immigration order in the first courtroom battle over an initiative designed to spare nearly 5 million people from deportation.

The Obama administration is urging dismissal of a lawsuit that would dismantle the president's immigration program, an initiative designed to spare nearly 5 million people in the U.S. illegally from deportation.

AZGOP Chairman Robert Graham quickly rolled out endorsements from Arpaio and longtime party leaders a day after GOP activist Lori Urban confirmed to our reporter that she’s challenging him in the race for chairman – a sure sign that he’s not taking the January race for granted.

Not even waiting until President Obama gave his speech Thursday night, Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio filed suit in federal court seeking to block the announced plans to allow millions of people not in this country to remain and work here legally.